Bittersweet and the little soap company

a girl can dream

I have to admit that once we approach the end of January and the beginning of February my mind travels to one thought and one thought only Spring! How about you? Are you with me?

Well, on a good note, the dead of winter inspires me to create fresh new formulations and even facelifts on existing ones. The Spring Soap Menu has been shared. We're going to have some great spring soaps! They start arriving in a couple of weeks. I also move considerably slower in the winter months. Once the weather warms we love to spend time outdoors, and our treehouse porch is one of my favorite spots to hang out.

We are beginning to release our spring home collections. The entire line focuses on natural fibers and timeless items for your home. Cotton and linens are a few of our favorites. 

We had a big football game last night, and I want to say how proud I am of our team the Kansas City Chiefs. They showed dignity and humbleness before and after the win.  They are also a great role model for the NFL and the world. May you never lose that bright light that we all love. 

Today I revisited a favorite product, Lemon Nail Salve. The nourishing salve or balm is healing and packed with pure ingredients that even after one use offer healing results. It's great for fingertips and cuticles and intended for those tiny but important areas. 

Some of my favorites include Dry Oil, Body Spray, Rose Hip Oil, and the new Hair Butter. Oh so good! Like their sister the Lemon Nail Creme, they are quick to work and fast to show results. That's the manifesto yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Designing skincare essentials that make a difference in your life. We believe that we've cracked the skin care code! Our research and constant study of what're the best ingredients. 

The products that I make are inspired by my own needs and wants. If they don't live up to my standards their surely not going to live up to yours. We have a big problem with that! 

I'm still working on the backroom sorting and uncluttering. I made progress last week, but have a long way to go. When you're a soap manufacturer you have tons of paper products and packaging items like ribbon and soap wrap paper. I tend to believe that it's nice to have a designated spot for these items otherwise they get out of hand. 

My work table is filled with jars and bottles of a fresh new products. Lavender Linen Spray got a label makeover along with a few other things. Change is good. 

Jill 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Break time reinvented

 

In between clearing and cleaning at the shop prototypes are being tossed around for Valentine's day. I mentioned how a lot of our future designs are formed around our roots. This means since Bittersweet has been around for so long and we've run the gamut of product design and style with each and every design that is released we have seen all sorts of styles and designs come and go. Most have been tweaked many times while others have been freshly created. Just as clothing styles come and go, and often come back so does most packaging. It may look a little different, but the bones are there. With a new year, those thoughts are centered around the reflection. Most of our favorite past packaging designs show up in some shape or form, and we love that!

We received a small shipment of Turkish towels a few weeks ago, and I absolutely love them. We hand-picked the colors and utility. We have kitchen towels and bed covers. The bed covers may also be used as a draping piece for tables. Love that too!

Somebody was feeling a little under the weather the other day so I decided to not leave her at home so that I could keep an eye on her. In fact, I believe that she dined on several cinnamon rolls that she snatched out of the trash! I felt horrible. You know the feeling, right? That soul-drenching feeling that you have caused harm to your precious pet. I did a lot of praying and kept her close to me for about a day. Then, by the second day, she had a positive turn-around, and things became somewhat normal around here.  Kids and dogs. We worry about them, always. 

 I've cleared off the old farm table to make room for our big soap sale on January 21. The soap sale is a big thing! I did a test run and casually filled my cloth bag and received almost fifty dollars of free soap without any effort. If one is careful and strategically places the bars in the bag one can easily get more bars and more savings. The only downfall and it only affects me is that I won't see your smiling faces for quite a while after you feel your bag as you'll be stocked up for months on our moisture-rich pH-tested soap! The sale is an offering to our customers. Little things. 

Winter nights are made even more cozier by lighting one of my favorite candles in all the world. Not only is Lily the salt of the earth, but the candles that she crafts are above most others. I'm particularly fond of her Aspen Lodge candle. The small tin candle has a great throw of scent! Check her out here.  

So many have asked about the picture. I order most of my prints here. I'm fond of Scottish scenes. We have several of these prints framed in our home. 

What's that saying? There's always room for improvement.  I feel pretty comfortable declaring that I'm a professional improvement monitor! Using the items that you already have by either changing their surroundings or function. Often times I'm impressed when I change an object's function. Most of the time, the alternative idea of its aesthetics thrills me even more than the first. Little things. So I'm making positive improvements to an already popular product, our dish soap. Later on, we'll have a short handle dish brush, and wee ceramic dishes that when I first began searching for an update fell in love with this new packaging. I think that you will too. You'll have the option of purchasing either on its own or with the accessories. I personally love having a little brush and dish for my chunky bar of dish soap to sit on.

I'm hoping to have the cookbook in my hands soon! At least one of them so that I can take an intense look at it to make sure there aren't any typos or mistakes. We're inching our way closer to this. Book writing has a particular process. I feel like it's easy to construct the wording, but it's challenging to assure that the content complements the grammar and punctuation. Not my thing. I'm thankful for editors and publishers!  

I believe you're going to enjoy our shop even more with all the changes that I've made. I've dug in deep and left no corner unturned. The back room was my biggest challenge, and when I first began working on the small room I was definitely overwhelmed, but I rallied and kept working until it was organized. It's a super satisfying feeling to overcome such obstacles and the end rewards you with the satisfaction of knowing you did it! Big things. 

It doesn't seem believable that next Saturday marks the end of our winter break! I guess because I've been so busy, but I'll be glad to be back once I'm back. It's ironic how I never plan to be so busy, but it always without fail turns out to be. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

days and days

We're wrapping up our final few weeks at the shop this year. I've replenished inventory and the countdown to Christmas is fast approaching. But then again, I probably didn't need to remind you. Do you feel like me and think to yourself that it just came out of nowhere? Where or where does the time go? We received a shipment of earrings on Saturday and I absolutely love the artist! This doesn't happen very often. We sold out half of our inventory the same day that it came in! The holiday season moves full speed ahead, and we are challenged to keep items in stock. Since we make most of our shop inventory, the challenges sometimes feel overwhelming, but in a good way. Anymore after being a maker and shop owner, among many other things, I've learned to take it all in stride. One of my favorite sayings this time of year is, don't sweat the small stuff. The holidays can be stressful to many, and if I'm being honest I believe that it's safe to say that they can be stressful for most. I've been there, but have learned to realize it's best to not sweat the small stuff. 

The Shower Spray is a must-have for winter. It's formulated with pure rosemary and eucalyptus, need I say more? Well, it also contains menthol. Not only is the spray a pick-me-up it will help to clear congestion and stuffiness. 

Oats and Goats soap is back, but it won't be around for long. Along with a few other items that since we're this late in the shop open game, I won't be making more until after the break. 

I did think it a good time to start on some label changes, so when we sold out of things I've been slowly incorporating new labeling. The new labels will be implemented throughout, and eventually, all of our products will take on a new look. It's a process. One that I enjoy as that's my jam. In fact, I probably love packaging design as much as I love skincare manufacturing. 

There are specific Bittersweet essentials that I don't feel I could live without. The soap, dry oil, face creams, serums, and scrubs are on my list. You may not know this, but the products that Bittersweet makes are made to fit my own skincare needs. The concept behind designing a line of skincare products is styled by my own desires. During the winter months when my skin gets dry, my mind begins to think of remedies that will not only help but combat it. Little things. 

On Friday I was chatting with some of my amazing human customers and I spat out how I had soap up my sleeve! I had no further said that then I realized how much I loved it. I'm thinking of naming my fifth book, I have soap up my sleeve! Now you see how these things happen.  Spontaneous inspiration. Be on the lookout for it, because it's always there. 

Speaking of books, I'll be finalizing my last chapters on both books during break. They will be happily sent to the editor and the process of publishing will be the next step, and then on that golden day that I'm able to hold the books in my hand I'll rejoice and my heart will be filled with joy and jubilee. 

It's interesting how life throws curve balls, and you aren't able to get a clear shot, but then every now and then, you hit the target straight on only to realize that the in-between and beginning and end of both good and bad things result in something that exceeds your expectations. You take a chance and follow your heart only to realize this is it! You would never have known had you not experienced what you experienced. There is always a path, but we don't always follow it and explore and branch out beyond that path.  I think that is the coolest thing ever! The older that I get, the more astonished I am about this life journey and the amazing possibilities and opportunities that surround each of us. It's all about timing, as it always is.  I learned a very long time ago when my business was tender and young just how important timing is. It rings true for all life matters too. I kind of feel like there is a system involved. If this is true, it's a well-run system. 

Wishing you the very best and hoping that you're able to surround yourself with the spirit of Christmas. 

Jill 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

sweet dreams

We're getting excited about our holiday open house! The past few years have put a damper on our shop parties, and we're looking forward to getting back to the good old days. I'm also glad that those days are behind us. I made our famous sugar cookies and we're going to also serve our festive Christmas punch. The recipe will be included in Taste & Eat, Season Everything With Love, but I thought it would be nice to share it now since the cookbook won't be published until after the holidays. 

I'm picky about my cookie toppings. I really love the look of these not-so-over-the- top beads. 

Hot cocoa in the house! I just put in an order for Dutch cocoa. It makes the best homemade hot chocolate. I also really like cinnamon in my cocoa. Just a sprinkle or two. I also love to gift the cocoa. 

Before I left the shop on Saturday I gazed over our soap inventory and thought, WOW! We make and wrap, and I make and wrap thousands of bars this time of year. It is truly an incredible site to see once they're wrapped and out for the picking. I'm not wanting to come off as arrogant, but WOW! I always hesitate to believe that we will sell it all, but we always do. In fact, especially since we're only open eleven more days before our winter break, there will not be one bar left! The beautifully wrapped soap bars really do offer an affordable and luxurious gift, especially this time of year. Feeling fortunate and blessed. 

We have a pie shop below Bittersweet and they have the most amazing take-and-bake chicken pot pies! I decided that tonight would be a good night to bake it. I can smell the veggies and crust as I type. 

I have brought back Snickerdoodle Lip Balm! I added a tiny drip, drop of vanilla to the popular healing balm stick. So good! That reminds me too, that I need to add it to our webshop menu. I'll head over and do that soon. 

We're working hard to keep all of your favorite Bittersweets in stock. Every holiday season there's always a hot item, and no matter how hard I try to figure out what it's going to be before it's hot, I can't seem to get it. So I'm always caught off guard. Whatever is hot multiplies, quadruples, and flies out the holiday door. One of the items that seem to be hot and something that we outsource is our warm and wooly flannel pajamas along with the fuzzy faux rabbit slippers. Well, of course, I mean who doesn't want to snuggle up with both? I've put in one last order, but I won't be ordering any more. We tend to practice this method of purchasing with outsourcing. We prefer to make our inventory and in turn, present a unique offering of goods that stand out from the crowd in both aesthetics and quality.  Both are equally important in our industry. 

We hope to chat and visit with you on Friday and Saturday during our Holiday open house. We are wishing you a joyful and happy holiday!

Seasons Greetings and Joy To The World. 

Jill 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before me

I'm just peeking in for a few minutes. My car is in the shop for its annual winter check-up, and I've been blowing leaves and trimming bushes before old man winter arrives. I picked up all of my Thanksgiving groceries early and turkey and pumpkin pie are on my menu. I have the tree up too! I'm not sure and for whatever reason, I was eager to put the Christmas tree up this year. I captured the shot of Elle sitting on the living room rug and thought about how that would make a great Christmas card. The shop window is filled with warm hues and our home is decked out with sugar pinecones and white tassels. Thoughts of blessings and thankfulness filled my heart last night as I pondered my life and the people that are in it. How glorious it is to not have any wants or needs, and along with those feelings realize some do not share those thoughts. Feeling blessed each and every day. 

My little Norfolk pine is thriving. I gave her a healthy trim and cut-off dead branches. She was singing a happy song, and I also believe her branches were swaying. There's a story behind that, but it's a personal one. I'll share someday. 

My mind is traveling back and forth with ideas for holiday packaging. We ordered these cute little Christmas tree bags, and I love the idea of an all-white bag with ribbon. A simple piece of greenery as embellishment. We've offered these packaged soap items before, and they remain timeless and one of my favorite things about the holidays. 

The picture of my dad and me from back when. This picture sits in my shop and reminds me of blessings gracefully given by God.  I love it when customers ask me about the picture. There are also pictures of my aunt and my great-grandmother Lucy at my shop. Every now and then I gaze up and look at the pictures to remind me of just how darn lucky I am to have such amazing people in my life and a part of me realizes I am who I am because of them. 

A delightful story. 

Step one, make the best soap ever with the recipe that you’ve fastidiously developed twenty-five years ago, Step two, tenderly cut the bars. Step 3, allow the soap to cure for four to six weeks so that it ages to perfection. Step four, wrap the moisture-rich bars in stunning paper and design labels to perfection. Step five, happily wrap and offer a new soap each week because we love soap, and the ability to offer you an aromatic delightfully wrapped bar of new goodness every single week is our jam!

We're coming upon Shop Small Day! It doesn't seem possible, but we are. A while ago I played out our shop hours and realized that Bittersweet Apothecary is only open 19 more days before Christmas and our annual winter nap. Every year I also am taken by surprise at how quickly it arrives and how fast it's gone.

We made Cherry Crumble last night. This is such an easy recipe, but it's one of those desserts that gets rave reviews each and every time that you serve it. My ex-sister-in-law shared the recipe with me years ago.  I've been making it for years. Here's the recipe if you want to try it. You can change the fruit filling with apple, peach, blueberry, etc. Most of the time I make everything from scratch, but every now and then I'll find an easier version of something that compares with scratch. It's almost time to share my toffee recipe too. 

Blessings to you. 

Jill  

 

 

 

 

Second home

We get asked all of the time what the scent is in our shop. A lot of times it's a combination of soaps and blends that we create, but most often it's our Cleanse Cleaner. The rich tincture is formulated with clove and cinnamon. Since my shop is in an old home I have to be cautious with cleaners and such. We have the coolest tile and wood floors and I would never want to damage them. This essential oil cleanser not only smells amazing, but it makes my tile shine and my wood floors glow! It's pretty pungent, but in a good way and I love using the essential oil cleaner both at home and at the shop. It's a good thing! The only problem is that I have a hard time keeping up with supply and demand. 

I mentioned River Rain in my last post. It's wrapped and ready, and will not be here for very long. 

Our Fragrance Bar is slowly but surely getting filled. I believe that there are twenty empty spots left. I'm getting there! I'm happily getting there because the new scents smell amazing! We had a customer drop by yesterday and mixed several bottles of moisturizer and body spray using all of the new fragrances. She was impressed with the new assortment to choose from. In fact, as soon as I get through typing I'm going to blend more because it's a popular department in our store. With good reason. 

The serums and facial oils, soaps, etc. that we make and offer at our store are comprised of the best of the best. Much research goes into designing and creating a Bittersweet Skincare product. Sometimes we take months formulating a product before we get it just right. It's important that the product stands out from any past product that you've ever used and immediate results are kind of our jam.  

I've waited and waited with bated breath to announce the release of PS, and I can wait no more. The inquiries and emails have filled my inbox with questions about when the popular soap will be stocked. I'm happy to let you know that next Thursday is the golden day!

I'm also making a soap called Pumpkin Crunch that will be available as it gets closer to Thanksgiving. A prelude to our collection of Holiday Soaps. By the way, I've already started manufacturing. Remember how our soap requires a four-to-six week curing time?

This is a busy time of the year. Each year our summer turns into Christmas! The summers past were always busy, but as Bittersweet grows and gathers new customers, we operate on a level of Christmas year-round. It's a good thing. Thank you. 

Jill 

 

Ber

Oh, the blessing of being a soap maker for over twenty-five years often accompanies appreciative thoughts. The process of making soap is not easy, but it's one of the most rewarding things that I've ever done. Isn't that how it sometimes goes? When we face our challenges we find that the prize way exceeds the struggles. To think that these thoughts wouldn't exist had I not been in business for so long boggles my mind.  I've learned an incredible number of things and most are engraved and embedded with strong work ethics and perseverance. A lot of times when we face challenges we tend to want to escape by walking the other way. I have found the outcome and freedom that comes from heading things straight on requires mental strength, but the reward is huge. I'm forever grateful for the grace that God has given me over the years. The lessons I've learned and the value it holds. Priceless. 

When I took the picture of the stacked soap it all came back to me. The entire process from beginning to end is a labor of love. 

You must know that once September arrives it's the beginning of Fall. At least in my world. The retail and soap manufacturing world is quite different than most. The Ber months are here! 

The shop is filled with fall essence and the mood is autumn!

We are in the process of updating our Scent Your Own Department by starting fresh with new bottles, labels, and seasonal fragrances. I believe that there are thirty-one empty spots to fill. That translated into thirty-one more additions to our menu. We offer eighty! My goal at the modern apothecary is to take the intimidation process out of blending scents. We're getting there. 

We're also making upgrades on some of our soap packagings. Our long-time facial bar, Oats & Goats is on our makeover list along with a few other soaps. 

Our new fall jackets have arrived! 

The seasons come and they go, and Bittersweet seasons seem to pass with a blink of an eye. I'm not sure why but they do. Holiday manufacturing kicks in full speed ahead next week, and I'm putting the finishing touches on fall manufacturing as we head into winter. The four to six-week curing period on all of our soap has always pushed us to be a couple of weeks ahead. 

The shop has been hustling! It makes me happy to see people come in and design a new scent and stock up on soaps. I always feel like that little bar of soap can change the world. It did mine!

If you haven't been in for a while we're decked out with fall. We look forward to seeing your smiling face and sharing our take on fall!

Jill  

 

Meet me in St. Louis

We took a train to St. Louis and had a blast of a time during our short stay. Unfortunately, when we arrived home I had symptoms of covid. A test revealed that my symptoms were covid.  I'm on the mend and slowly starting to feel better. I'm really anxious to get back to the shop. While I was away we had numerous fall shipments come in. I had also taken off from soap manufacturing for a week, which in turn means that it will be catch-up time at both the studio and at the shop. 

It felt good to get away, but I'm eager to get back into all of the fall goings-on that we have happening at the shop! The Ber months are approaching and we're celebrating by ushering in cozy fall tweeds and spicy new soaps. 

We're also going to introduce a new house scent, Bittersweet. Years ago we offered a house blend scent that everyone seemed to love. I'm not sure why we no longer offer it, but I thought it would be nice to bring back a signature scent for fall. We will also offer a new yummy candle in the new fragrance. 

This week I'll ease back into work at a much slower pace while acknowledging the blessings that surround me. 

Jill 

 

 

Peachy!

Have you ever had a week or maybe a day that's just peachy? I know that you have. This past week was indeed "peachy." Our peachy week was not only hunky-dory in the sense of peachy, but there was the scent of aromatic peach flowing through the air. I've mentioned many times how I love the scent of peach. We blended several peach concoctions at the apothecary shop that were, well, peachy! The peach season isn't around for long.  

I wrapped up the book cover design! I'll talk about that more as we travel down the road of book writing discussion at a later date. You might find the information handy if you're considering writing a book. 

Meanwhile at the shop and the studio. 

You might find it difficult to believe, but the studio has been whipping up all things pumpkin spice and pear, apple, and some of your favorite yummy fall scents. If you're new to our blog then you may not know that our method of soap making requires a four to six-week curing period.  We're into September in July. Once September rolls around the action follow.  Actually, it's a pretty action-packed year round, but the golden month of September ushers in down and dirty soap making. It's a good thing we have lots of soap. I'll never forget that children's book that I used to read to Patrick. The sheep crashed their jeep and they said that they needed lots of soap. We used to laugh every time we came to that part of the book. Mom was a soap maker and we did have lots of soap!

Our Scent Station or Scent Your Own Department has been graced with some beautiful souls. It's always joyful to see people create a perfume or cologne. Starting from the ground up and working your way through the world of scent design is mesmerizing.   Being a scent girl my entire life I've always had a crush on beautiful scents. I love sharing my favorite things with all that are interested. That part of living the good life, sharing. 

The girl in the golden glasses. 

Susan dropped by the shop yesterday and as soon as she entered I was taken by her sunglasses. Aren't they cute? She was headed to a wedding and changed her mind about the dress that she was wearing. Instead, she picked out the linen embroidery dress and paired it with a new seed bead bracelet, and turquoise-toned Nickel & Suede earrings. Doesn't she look adorable? The pops of bright red and fuchsia in the dress look amazing on her skin tone! We love the look! Without a doubt, Susan received more than one compliment. We offer a color compliment card at our shop. Everyone looks better in certain tones, colors, and hues. Whether you're a spring, summer, fall, or winter, we are more than happy to assist you in your best foot forward colors. We're anxious to expand our color collections with stunning fall tones. We've already chosen our favorites and they will be arriving soon. Remember September?

The tumbleweed has been getting attention. I guess if our shop was in Arizona or Nevada a tumbleweed would not be that big of a deal, but when it's center stage at a midwest shop it is going to get lots of attention. That puts a smile on my face. I'm also reminded that inspiration can come from anything or anyone. As simple as it sounds it's true. 

My zinnia patch was slow to bloom, but now those candy-colored blooms are popping open! I'm not sure if I love this flower because of its humble beginning or because it was one of my mom's favorites. It is safe to say, both. Typically you start zinnia from seeds. There's a satisfying feeling that one gets when one plants the seed and watches it transform into a beautiful flower. A sense of accomplishment in the garden world, I'd say. You garden girls and boys understand! If you aren't a garden person, zinnias are a great flower to start with. 

We sometimes forget how important it is to treat ourselves with love. Be kind to yourself and always remember you are you, and that is enough. xo

When we look forward to tomorrow we're often disappointed in today. If you concentrate on living one day at a time, you will find yourself a happier person. It takes practice to put this into motion but once you do, you will realize that this method of thinking will add joy to your life. 

Everyone that visits Bittersweet touches that linen apron. What is it about linen? The natural fiber textile draws you in with its soft texture and cool disposition. At least it does me. The colors are amazing on these aprons. They remind me of plant-dyed fabrics. Some of the most amazing colors come from plants! In the olden days, really olden days, that is how they added color to their clothing. The Indians were the originators and knowledgeable about plant-dyed fibers and shared their knowledge with the pilgrims and pioneers. There's another example of sharing. 

Plant-derived dyes

Catechu or Cutch tree (brown)

Gamboge tree resin (dark mustard yellow)

Chestnut hulls (peach to brown)

Himalayan rhubarb root (bronze, yellow)

Indigofera leaves (blue)

Kamala seed pods (yellow)

Madder root (red, pink, orange)

Mangosteen peel (green, brown, dark brown, purple, crimson)

I'm in love with the paper scrolls.  

I've been procrastinating about changing our essential oil and fragrance bottles. The process of switching out the bottles and new labeling is mind-boggling considering we offer over one hundred at our shop.  This will be an all-day project that should have a dedicated time and place. Sometimes those last-minute challenges turn out to be not so challenging, but simply time-consuming.  

Our popular Charcoal soap is back in stock! 

I've been wanting to share our complimentary gift packaging notion. In a time filled with cut-backs and less, it feels right to offer appreciative offerings to our customers. Not to mention we love creating beautiful packaging. 

We're holding back on some exciting news, but we can't share quite yet. This time next week I'll be able to share and the excitement is mounting! 

Keep being you. 

Jill 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

no name

In the last post, I explained the story of the tumbleweed. Here it is! I've been getting all kinds of questions about the giant tumbleweed. Believe it or not, you can order these desert creatures online. They are available in small, medium, and large. This is a large size because when I ordered I thought, bigger is always better. I'm not from Texas, but I have lots of relatives that are! Anyway, after all these years I finally have my tumbleweed! As a reminder as I mentioned in the last post, inspiration can come from anything or anyone. 

We've been heel-deep into book covers! I've always been intrigued by how hundreds of pictures can churn out one good one. This translates into time spent having your picture taken, over and over, and over. Not my cup of tea. I always thought that it would be fun to be a model, but now I'm realizing that it would not be my thing. 

Yesterday our credit card processor went crazy! We have the one that starts with an S. We had to close our shop doors because we could not process any payments. Then later I went back to the store to try and troubleshoot, but it was apparent that the issue was within their system. So I finally gave up and threw in the towel for the night. I did manage to get our backup system running, but our main processing system is down. It will be a miracle if it accepts our password and works! Sometimes when companies make upgrades it causes issues with some older machines. This is exactly what is happening. As frustrating as it is, life goes on.  It's always good to have backup plans. Just saying. 

Moving on to less stressful things. 

Our shipment of linen aprons arrived. I absolutely love the colors! We also ordered linen table runners and kitchen towels. We're gearing up for our cookbook in early twenty-three. 

When I think of summer thoughts of fresh lemon and lavender come to mind. Our Refreshers are an easy way to take in some refreshing and cool scents. 

We've already planned out our packaging for fall and winter. We've used this paper company before and always loved their designs. Without a doubt, we know that you're going to be wowed by the stunning paper!

Soap manufacturing is at full speed ahead! I have soap that needs to be cut and wrapped just waiting, soaps that aren't made, soap that needs names, and soap, soap, soap.

I've been using the minty watermelon scrub, and absolutely love the new formulation! It has a creamy texture while also offering coconut oil moisture.  So good!

I wasn't sure what to name this post. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment, so I've decided the title should be, "no name."

I can assure you that there are many that are experiencing much worse than I. This is my reminder, always no matter what comes my way in this thing we call life. 

It's always good, to be honest. 

Keep the faith. 

Jill